High School Volleyball: Camarillo sweeps Rio Mesa to finish perfect in Pacific View League

Scorpions clinch title by sweeping rival

JOSEPH A. GARCIA/THE STAR
Camarillo High’s Davis Keairns (center) hits the ball back to Rio Mesa’s Erick Zambrano (left) and BVD Ortiz (right) during a Pacific View League match at Camarillo High on Tuesday. The Scorpions swept to complete an undefeated league season.

Ventura County Star

JOSEPH A. GARCIA/THE STAR
Rio Mesa High School's Josiah Roque (front) and teammate Erick Zambrano (16) try to get to the ball during a varsity Pacific View league volleyball match, against Camarillo High School, at Camarillo High on Tuesday, April 30, 2013.
04/30/2013 Camarillo, CA

Ventura County Star

JOSEPH A. GARCIA/THE STAR
Rio Mesa High School's BVD(cq) Ortiz (left) goes against Camarillo High School's Brandon Tran at the net during a varsity Pacific View league volleyball match at Camarillo High on Tuesday, April 30, 2013.
04/30/2013 Camarillo, CA

Ventura County Star

JOSEPH A. GARCIA/THE STAR
Camarillo High School's Davis Keairns(cq) (left), Brandon Tran (center) and Chris Salas celebrate winning their second game against Rio Mesa High School, by a score of 25-20, during a varsity Pacific View league volleyball match at Camarillo High on Tuesday, April 30, 2013.
04/30/2013 Camarillo, CA

Ventura County Star

JOSEPH A. GARCIA/THE STAR
Camarillo High School's Matt Yoshimoto (left) and teammate Satbir Dhaliwal(cq) try to stop a hit from Rio Mesa High School during a varsity Pacific View league volleyball match at Camarillo High on Tuesday, April 30, 2013.
04/30/2013 Camarillo, CA

Ventura County Star

The Camarillo High boys volleyball team finished its Pacific View League regular season in perfect fashion on Tuesday, sweeping rival Rio Mesa in three games to clinch the league title and likely remain the No. 1-seeded team in its division for the upcoming playoffs.

Camarillo (24-5-1, 10-0) fought off Rio Mesa in a pivotal Game 2, and then cruised in Game 3 while winning 25-17, 25-20, 25-11.

"We had to pull through Game 2," said Camarillo's senior outside hitter Owen Yoshimoto, who had a game-high 19 kills. "When we won that game, it gave us a lot of confidence. We only needed one more."

Rio Mesa (13-11, 8-1) took a 4-0 lead in Game 2, and later led 9-6 and 11-7, but the Scorpions fought back. The score was knotted at 17-17 when Camarillo went on a 4-1 run to take a 21-18 lead.

Owen Yoshimoto's kill made it 20-18 and younger brother Matt upped the lead to three on a left-handed kill that was placed softly into an open space. Davis Keairns all but sealed the game with a kill to make the score 24-19.

Rio Mesa couldn't recover in Game 3 as Camarillo broke out to a 7-2 lead. The Spartans' Alex Ah Sue cut a growing deficit to 14-7 with a kill, but Brandon Tran had two key blocks as Camarillo built the lead to 19-10. Owen Yoshimoto followed with three kills, including the match-ending point.

"If we had won Game 2, I think it would have changed the momentum a lot," said Rio Mesa senior outside hitter Sean Bisnett. "But to play that team that tough, we know we're going to go pretty deep in CIF. We hope we see them again in CIF."

For Camarillo, Matt Yoshimoto had 32 assists. Keairns had 10 kills and five aces. Chris Salas had 15 digs. Tran contributed five kills and three blocks.

For Rio Mesa, Bisnett had 12 kills, Josiah Roque had 11 kills and Robert Espana equaled the Scorpions' Salas with 15 digs.

Camarillo had only an 11-10 lead in Game 1 before a kill by Tran, an ace by Keairns and a block by Owen Yoshimoto helped build a 16-11 lead that proved insurmountable.

"I've been preaching to my team all season that Rio Mesa's a dangerous team," Camarillo coach Roby Vandermay said.

Vandermay said Owen Yoshimoto took his game to another level during the Game 2 comeback.

"He just realized it was time to pick it up and kind of carry the team on his shoulders," Vandermay said. "He's been doing that all season."

Camarillo and Rio Mesa will both be competing in the CIF-Southern Section Division 3. Spartans coach Jeff Holloway said he hopes his team is recognized for having only lost to the Scorpions in league play.

"As long as we get the respect and the credit going into CIF, I think we can be competitive," Holloway said.

Vandermay said he is working to keep his players believing in themselves without becoming overconfident.

"They're bounding in confidence," he said. "I need to make sure that they play confident, but not cocky and making mistakes."